Slowly
by MistyKat24
Summary: After traveling days without food and water, Zuko traps the Avatar but falls from exhaustion and fever. Katara demands to care for him, which is a demand that shakes the group to its core. Follows the continuing adventures of the cast of Avatar.
1. Slowly

Slowly  
An Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfiction  
Misty Schmitt  
June 26, 2006  
Updated: March 27, 2007

Version 2.0 Notes: I removed some of the overly cheesy sentiments, and tried to keep them in character a bit more. I also cleaned up some of the typos and grammatical errors I missed the first time through. Hope you enjoy it!

-----------------------------------

I

Slowly, he came to consciousness.

The first thing he noticed was that his eyes burned. He wondered at how his eyes could burn so hotly, but the rest of him be so cold. Vaguely, he realized that he was sweating and shivering at the same time. A fever? Most likely. He idly began to wonder how long he had been out and where he was, if only to take his mind off his burning eyes.

The sound of footfalls took him away from wondering where he was and his burning body. Someone knelt next to him and placed something cool over his eyes.

It felt like heaven.

And then, he heard her voice.

"I wish there was some way to bring this fever down once and for all!"

From somewhere far away, he heard the reply of her moronic brother.

"He's lucky we're helping him at all. You're gonna regret helping him when he wakes up and turns us into crispy critters."

"Oh, hush, Sokka. I'm a water bender and he's weak. If it looks like he's gonna do anything, I'll just douse him and we'll be out of here on Appa."

"I'm just sayin'."

"Well, don't."

Silence. That coolness over his eyes made his senses sharper. He tried to recall just what had happened and slowly, it came to him. He remembered that he hadn't eaten anything worthwhile in days... or was it weeks? He hadn't had water for two days, that much he knew. But he had made it.

He trapped that damn airbender. There was nowhere he could run.

What happened next was a blur. He remembered feeling relief; he remembered running toward the Avatar, and then... that girl. That infernal waterbending girl had stepped in.

He remembered that he faltered. At the sight of her, he stopped.

And that was it. Now he was lying, sick and exhausted, at their mercy.

Blackness.

-----------------------------------

He woke again. He didn't know how long it was from the last bout of consciousness to this one, but he knew that his eyes weren't burning anymore. He also felt a strong breeze on his face. The ground seemed to move beneath him, and he realized that he wasn't on the ground. They were moving him on that flying beast. Where were they taking him? He decided to wait and see. His thoughts trailed off...

When he woke up this time, he felt much stronger and more like himself. He felt the welcome earth beneath him and sensed that he was alone. He could make it. He could get away to measure the damage for himself and come up with a new plan. His muscles tensed and he sat straight up, eyes open.

Bright!

Stars exploded in front of him and he fell back again, laughing at himself softly as he passed once more into...

Blackness.

-----------------------------------

Cool water passed his lips. He was aware that his head was being propped in someone's arms. He heard quiet humming, and for a moment, he dreamed he was with his mother once more. His brave mother who knew more of honor and respect than any general or fire lord. A smile played at the corner of his mouth and then he realized the smell was all wrong. It was sweet, but not his mother.

His eyes opened without pain for the first time in... days? Weeks?

Slowly, her face came into focus. There was a smile of relief on her face as she lowered her water skin. That smile made him feel weaker, and he hated her for it.

She must have seen him grimace at that thought, because her smile disappeared.

"Shh. You're safe, whether you like your traveling companions or not. It looks like you're out of the woods, but you've still got a ways to go before you can fling your fireballs at us again."

He looked up at her face, hating her and not hating her all at the same time.

He ignored this strange feeling. For now.

"H-how long?" was all he could manage. By the Gods, was that his voice croaking in his ears!

"Are you that ready to get away?"

"No." Slowly "How long have I been..."

She understood.

"How long have you been with us? You've been pretty much unconscious since... the fight. That was two weeks ago. It's lucky Aang remembered that herbalist, otherwise you might not be here."

"Where is the Avatar?"

He meant to sound intimidating. His question came out wheezy and barely audible.

"Don't worry where Aang is. You need to take this medicine and go back to sleep."

She flashed that look at him. That fierce-eyed look that said, "Don't mess with me and don't argue. Or else." The look that was stubborn and beautiful at the same time. The look that stopped him when he had the Avatar trapped.

He drank the bitter tea that she gave him and fell asleep almost instantly.

-----------------------------------

Her brother entered the cave to start a fire. He looked at her briefly. It turned his stomach to see her caring for that crazed lunatic. He dropped the firewood and ran his hands over his head to try and cool off before he spoke.

Things had not been peaceful between Sokka and his sister since they gained their newest party member. Come to think of it, everyone had been on edge since that day. Even Momo was strangely reserved... for a lemur.

"So... I heard voices. Did he wake up, then?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And what, Sokka? He's barely strong enough to talk."

"Fine, I was just..."

"Just what?"

"Worried… he is the angry, fire-flinging jerk that's been after us for MONTHS now…"

"Well, what do you want me to say, that he tried to attack me? Would that fit in with your big brother complex?"

"Big brother complex?! I don't know what you're talking about! It wouldn't have surprised me if he were faking it just to catch us off guard... not in the least."

"Oh yeah, here he is, not able to wake up for more than a few minutes at a time, and he's going to attack me? Your 'worry' is duly noted, 'big brother', but I can handle myself… I am a bender, remember? I don't need you to protect me. Not anymore."

He walked out of the cave again. Angry. He'd been in a constant state of anger for two weeks now, and she had just touched a nerve. Touched a nerve? It was more like she ripped it to shreds with a badger-mole claw.

"Big brother complex… what does she know, anyway…", Sokka muttered under his breath.

"How's Katara?"

Sokka looked at the Avatar, biting back a thousand comments that would do him no good to say.

"The same. Doting over that scarred-freak and cutting down anyone who tries to talk some sense into her... and that 'anyone' just happens to be me 9 times out of 10."

Aang looked at the ground.

Uncomfortable silence. The group was falling apart over a boy that hadn't managed to move or talk in two weeks. They all felt it.

-----------------------------------

Slowly, the blackness subsided. He woke up fully, and for the first time in two weeks, Zuko pulled himself upright with his own strength. He was still weak, but his head was clear, and he knew there would be no more periods of sustained blackness.

He kept his eyes closed for a moment and felt the breeze on his face. It cooled his scar, and, for a moment, his rage. He opened his eyes.

Katara was building a fire. They were in the open, and they were alone. He smirked as he raised his hand to ignite the fire for her, but stopped.

Katara was crying. She was completely silent, but he saw the tears flicker in the sparks her flint made. They were like fireflies in the twilight. Here now, gone forever in the blink of an eye.

The fire wouldn't catch. He could see that from where he was. Giving in, she threw the flint across the river and screamed out her frustration to the silent night.

Slowly, Zuko rose. He didn't want to care, but… He wanted to know why this girl would lose control, but he also wanted to know who hurt her like this.

He told himself it was so he could congratulate them... but part of him knew that wasn't the reason. That wasn't the reason at all.

He knelt beside her and she started. He didn't say a word; he just lit the fire. He frowned at how unwillingly the fire leapt from his fingertips and turned to her when it had caught.

He reminded himself that he was prince of the Fire Nation, and however strange and confused he felt, he knew he had to keep up appearances.

"Stop crying and tell me why I'm here, girl!"

She shrunk back from him, not speaking, eyes wide. Her hands moving toward the water skin at her side, and Zuko softened. He knew how weak he was, despite his stubborn pride.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not burning you to ashes like your dim-witted brother thinks I will... and I know you can speak... so tell me what's going on. Where's everyone else, or don't they care that they left you with the prince of the Fire Nation?"

Slowly, she regained composure.

"They left me."

Simple enough, but he didn't understand.

"What do you mean... they left you?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Sokka couldn't stand that I was making you better and Aang... well... I'm not sure why he was so upset. He's said over and over again that he thinks you two could be friends one day… after the war."

She paused and looked at him, presumably to see how he took this last statement.

He had heard it before. Hell, he had even thought it himself in the dark of night. It wasn't a shock, so he didn't react. He ran his hand over his new growth of hair and maintained a level gaze at her. Katara faltered for a moment, and then continued.

"Anyway, we saw Dad's ships anchored in a cove nearby and Sokka wanted to go see him. I didn't want to take you into their camp, and so I told him we would stay behind and wait. To make a long story short, Sokka didn't think I should have passed up a visit with Dad to nurse you back to health. What's worse, Aang agreed. We screamed at each other... Aang and I even threw some bending moves at each other. In the end, Sokka and Aang left me alone with you. I imagine they'll come back... but I don't know... Everything's so messed up."

She trailed off. Twilight turned to night and the silence between them grew. It wasn't uncomfortable; it was what it was. Silence.

"You should have left me."

"How could I..."

"I said, you should have left me. It's what I would have done… maybe worse, who knows."

"You were sick. I couldn't just..."

"You should get some rest. Go to your father in the morning and leave me here. I'm well enough to travel on my own. I wouldn't… I wouldn't have missed a chance to be with my father… if he wanted me." Zuko looked at his clenched hands, angry at himself for revealing that bit of himself to her. Why had he done it?!

"You're not strong enough, and you know it. I can't just leave you here."

"Yes, you can. Leave me alone!" He turned from her and went back to his sleeping bag.

-----------------------------------

Katara opened her eyes. She had slept well and felt quite rested. Of course, she always felt better after getting something off her chest. It was just her nature to bottle up frustration and scream it to the world every now and again.

And then there was Zuko to think about. The calm way he looked at her, waiting patiently as she told her story. He sounded so… unsure of himself for once. What he said, "I wouldn't miss a chance to be with my father… if he wanted me," echoed through her head. Maybe there was more to him than the angry boy that they knew. She was sure of it.

She smiled for the first time in the past few days and rolled over to see if he was awake.

He was gone.

She should have expected it. She knew he would leave as soon as he thought he was well enough. She also knew that, while he might feel fine, he was certainly not fine.

Katara hastily got up and packed her bedroll. She strapped it to her back, and then entered the forest to find him.

-----------------------------------

Miles away on Appa, Aang looked at the passing ocean dejectedly.

"We shouldn't have left her. I shouldn't have gotten so angry."

Sokka looked up from sharpening his blade.

"She'll be fine. Trust me. She needs time to blow off steam and we need time to... blow off our own steam, I guess. We'll go back and get her tonight, and then we'll hit the road again, all of us. Minus one Fire Nation prince..." Sokka finished, muttering the last statement under his breath.

Aang still looked upset.

"Look, Aang. I'm telling you. It will all work out. When you're family, you drive each other crazy and sometimes you just want to kill each other, but you don't and you get over the crazies because they're your family. We just need some space, is all. Appa's saddle isn't big enough for all of us sometimes..."

II

Katara walked softly and swiftly through the surrounding forest. The morning light broke through the trees and turned the forest into a temple of green and gold. The forest's beauty fell on blind eyes as Katara continued to search for Zuko; she had no time to appreciate the glories of nature this morning.

Zuko wasn't hard to follow, which was a testament to how sick he really was. Katara saw his clumsy mistakes everywhere—a broken branch here, a bit of his hair there, footprints only half covered everywhere—and winced. She knew he wouldn't be making these mistakes if he were well.

-----------------------------------

Zuko was breathing heavily and sweating by mid-morning. He knew he couldn't make it much farther, but he wanted to put as much distance between himself and the waterbender as he could.

The waterbender. Would he ever use her name? He suspected he wouldn't. The moment he did, she would be real to him.

As he rested, unfamiliar voices brought him from his thoughts.

"We've got 'em trapped. They ain't goin' nowhere." A gruff voice stated.

"Good work, Lieutenant. The Fire Lord will be pleased that we are going to rid him of those waterbending nuisances. Where are they currently located?"

"They holed themselves up in the cove down the beach. The navy's comin' in to stop their ships, and we're gonna take care of the ones camped out on the beach, General."

"Good. We move tonight."

Zuko knew that they could only be talking about the waterbender's father. It looked like his entire fleet of ships was about to be obliterated. Normally, Zuko wouldn't have cared...

-----------------------------------

Aang and Sokka saw the ships ahead. Both sets of them. The Water Tribe ships couldn't spot the Fire Nation fleet so far away on the horizon, but from atop Appa, Sokka could clearly see that his father's ships were outmatched.

"Dad!"

Sokka ran to his father, but their reunion was short.

"You have got to get out of here! Now! The Fire Nation is on their way. You're a sitting turtle-duck here!"

"Sokka, son, don't worry! We know about their camp up on the cliffs. We've been planning to ambush them under the cover of night. Don't worry, they're only a few soldiers..."

"No, Dad, you don't understand. A whole fleet of ships from the Fire Nation is headed this way. They're waiting just outside this cove. You have to move, NOW!"

Aang approached apprehensively, looking from Sokka's face to his father's.

"Sokka, I don't know what you're talking about. No Navy could have tracked us... and who is this? Where's your sister?"

"No time, Dad. I'll explain in the air."

"The air!"

"Yep. Yip, yip, Appa!"

Sokka grabbed his father and he, Aang, and Momo lifted into the air on Appa's huge back.

Sokka's father knew that his children were traveling with the Avatar, but it still came as a shock to meet the Avatar himself so suddenly. He wished there was time to learn from the youngster, but when he saw proof that the Fire Nation navy was practically in his lap, he knew there was need for quick action. His face was set and grim as he said,

"Sokka, Aang... please go find Katara and leave this place. I can't get you three dragged into this battle. I can't have that on my head in the afterlife."

"Dad... you... you can't be serious. Aang can help... I can help! I've grown! I can fight. You can't leave me behind again... not when you most need me!"

Aang stepped forward, laying a hand on Sokka's shoulder.

"I understand, sir. We will do as you ask. We never should have left Katara alone in the first place. Sokka, your sister needs us now. We have to leave the war to the soldiers this time."

Sokka looked up at his father, pleading.

"I can't let you fight this battle by yourself. You have no idea how strong we can be. Dad... I... I don't want you to go!"

"I know, son. And I won't tell you it won't hurt to be without you again, but your sister needs your help. If she's in those woods, she may already have been caught by the fire nation soldiers we've been tracking."

A thought came to him, and his jaw set in anger.

"All this time! They've been the bait to draw us into this cove. And I fell for it."

Sokka looked at his father. He had a feeling it was his last look, so he took his looking slow, taking in every line in his father's brave face, trying to catalogue it into his memory, so he would never forget it.

And then it came to him; a wonderfully brilliant plan worthy of none other than Sokka. It was so simple, and it would solve everyone's problems. He grabbed Aang and ran toward Appa, smiling as he said,

"Don't worry, Dad! I'm going to get Katara and come back here as soon as I can. I have a plan."

Sokka's father scratched his head as he watched his firstborn fly away on a giant bison.

-----------------------------------

It was nearly twilight by the time Katara got to the end of Zuko's trail. It led her to a small clearing. She hid in the underbrush, making sure the coast was clear before moving into the clearing. There were several smoldering fires and evidence that an encampment had moved out not too long ago. There was no sign of Zuko anywhere, but there was also no sign of a struggle, so she silently thanked the water and moon spirit for that.

Katara carefully looked for signs of Zuko, moving methodically around the clearing's edge. She didn't expect to find him here. If he was trying to get away from her, he would surely have set out following the obvious path taken by the people who left the camp; his traces would be virtually lost in that confusion. She looked for him, anyway.

-----------------------------------

He watched the waterbender looking for him through a dull haze. The fever had returned as the Fire Nation soldiers were leaving the camp. He didn't have enough energy to run, so he idly hoped she would overlook him.

And then he thought of her tears the night before, of how crushed she would be if her father died tonight. With a sigh, he struggled to sit up.

"Hey. Waterbender. Over here," he croaked.

Katara turned, eyes wide with surprise. Not only was he still here, he was calling for her.

She walked to him, and as casually as she could, "I have a name. It's Katara. You can use it if you want, Zuko."

"I'll pass on that one. You should move. This was the camp of a small battalion of Fire Nation soldiers. They're after your father's group. They've got them pinned on the beach. The navy is waiting to attack the ships tonight and the battalion will take care of the waterbenders on land. You have to leave me and warn them."

"No way, you're coming with me. Where did the battalion go?"

-----------------------------------

Aang and Sokka had been looking for Katara for hours. They found the place where they had left her the night before, but she was nowhere to be found. They took to the air once again in hopes of spotting her from above.

Sokka fought with himself over leaving her the night before. At the time, it had seemed wise to split up for awhile, to let them all cool down. But now that she was in potential danger, he questioned his decision. He had, after all, left her alone with the one person who was the most successful at tracking them down and nearly killing them. Sokka groaned at this thought.

"Are you ok, Sokka?"

"Oh, sure. I was just thinking that I'm about to lose my father for good, and the rest of my small family is wondering around in a forest crawling with firebenders. No wait, I forgot. She's probably already dead. I bet Zuko woke up and blew her away before joining up with his buddies. Other than that, I'm 100 perfectly fine. Never better."

Sokka's sarcasm was nothing new to Aang... but it still annoyed him. Aang sighed and fought hard to stifle the urge to roll his eyes, as well.

"Katara can take care of herself, you know that. Besides, I don't think Zuko would kill her."

"What makes you so sure?"

"It's just this feeling I have."

"Oooookaaaaay. What's that supposed to mean."

"It's what's been bugging me. More than the chance that Zuko could turn on us, and more than the fact that Katara was caring for him. I would have done the same. I... I just think there's more there than we see."

"Ugh... please, don't say that. It makes my skin crawl."

"I know you don't want to hear it..."

"No, it's not that. I've been thinking the same thing for a while now. And if you see it too, then that means it might actually be true. Oh, God… what if they fall in love and get married? I can't have a FIREBENDER for a brother-in-law! How would that even WORK? What if they had kids? Would their kids be, what, steambenders?!"

Sokka shuddered at the thought of children... and what that entailed.

Aang giggled. Little Zuko's wandering around shooting off steam. Well, he always thought Zuko was about ninety-eight percent hot air, anyway...

"I think you're taking it too far… Wait! Sokka! I see her!"

-----------------------------------

They had tracked the battalion further up the cliff that overlooked the cove where her father was camped. Apparently, the plan was to bombard them from higher ground while the navy was destroying their ships. They would pick them off, one-by-one.  
When Zuko and Katara finally caught up with the soldiers, the sky was darkening. Zuko collapsed next to the underbrush and looked over at the camp.

"That's... only a few of them. These are all archers, and our archers have deadly aim."

Katara couldn't help but hear the note of pride in his voice and her nose wrinkled.

"Well, where are the rest of them?"

"They must be waiting in the trees near your father's camp, ready to pick off any of the stragglers that make it into the woods."

"Damn. What can I do now?"

"Nothing but take these guys out and hope your dad can handle the others."

"I can't believe that! There must be a way to help him more."

At the moment, Aang and Sokka stumbled right on top of them.

"We've been loo..," Sokka started, loudly.

"SHH!"

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" He finished in a fierce whisper.

Katara pointed at the archers, who were all preparing for battle.

"It's them! It's the soldiers your dad said he was tracking. We can take them out here, and all he'll have to worry about is the ships!"

"No, Avatar."

All eyes fell on Zuko, who was straining to speak in a voice that could be heard.

"This is only a small fraction of the battalion. The rest must be in the woods on the coast, waiting for the battle to begin."

Katara looked up at her brother.

"You have to go help Dad. I'll take these guys out. Don't look at me like that! There's only ten of them! You and Aang go take care of the rest of the guys. Dad'll have a better chance at sea if he doesn't have to worry about watching his back!"

"Katara. Look. I'm sorry about leaving you before. I've been dying of guilt at the fact that you could have run into Fire Nation soldiers. You're crazy if you think I'm going to leave you alone here with ten of them!"

A tired voice spoke up.

"She's not alone."

"How can I trust you? You're one of them! You've nearly killed us all a thousand times!"

"Sokka!" Aang said, "Do we have a choice? Your Dad needs us now!"

"Sokka, it'll be fine." Katara touched his arm.

"Fine. Once you've taken care of these guys, I want you two to wait here. We'll come get you after we clean up the rest of the Fire Nation trash."

Sokka walked to where Zuko lay and put his face so close to his that only Zuko could hear.

"If you hurt my sister... in ANY way... you will regret it. I don't care who you are and what power you think you might have. I will hound you to the grave, and beyond if I can. Am I clear?"

"You're pathetic. But don't worry. The waterbender is safe... from me, at least."

Sokka walked to where Katara was seeing Aang off. He hugged his sister.

"What was that for?"

"Nothing. Just... be careful, ok?"

"You, too."

And with that, Aang and Sokka took to the skies once again, leaving Katara alone with Zuko.

"When should we move?" she asked him as she knelt down next to him.

"No time like the present. We need to surprise them and get in close to make their weapons useless. If we can do that, we'll only have to worry about whether they can fight and whether they're firebenders."

She lightly touched his hand and flashed him a wry smile.

"What's this 'we' stuff, Sickie? I'm gonna take 'em out myself!"

She jumped over the brush and into the archers' camp unseen. He stared after her, the surprise on his face turning his features into those of a boy. He looked to the night sky.

The moonless night sky.

Suddenly, it all made sense. Why the fire nation would track a small fleet of waterbenders, baiting them to this cove. Why they would wait to attack at night. Normally, none of this made sense. But tonight, all the cards were in the hands of the Fire Nation.

It was the new moon. The water tribe camped below would have practically no bending abilities.

Which meant that the girl wouldn't either...

-----------------------------------

Katara had two of the archers in her sights. She didn't see any of the others, but she knew picking them off a few at a time made more sense than running headlong into the group. Two on one were better odds than ten on one any day.

She took a deep breath and stepped outside herself. She knew there was no other  
way—she had to take them down and make them stay down.

The first one fell easily. Knocking him out was easier than Katara thought it would be. He fell silently, never really knowing what hit him. The second archer nearly made it to the edge of the woods before she struck him down with a well-flung rock. Her aim was deadly as well, it seemed.

She moved to tie the archers up and hide them, but heard footsteps and retreated into the brush, hoping only one or two more were coming.

Her stomach fell when she saw that not one, but all eight remaining archers had entered the clearing. Worse, they saw their fallen comrades and were immediately on the alert.

She knew it was hopeless before she stepped into the clearing, but she did it anyway, loosing the cap of her waterskin as she did. She would at least keep them from attacking her father and brother by distracting them here. She hoped she could stay alive long enough to be of some use to them as she said,

"I am here. Come for me. Kill me if you can!"

Zuko marveled at the girl's stupid bravery. Who in the world takes on eight Fire Nation soldiers head-on by themselves! He was apparently looking at that person. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she challenged them, and he saw her hand lowered to her waterskin. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. He couldn't let her die here, after all.

The first thing Katara noticed as she unleashed the ice spear that took out the closest archer was that the water was... sluggish. She could still bend it, but it was being stubborn and fighting against her.

But still, three down, seven to go. She had reduced the odds against her considerably. She grinned and ran towards the remaining group of seven, dodging arrows as she went.

Zuko saw it happen as he stood. As it turned out, one of the archers was a firebender after all. The archer directed lightening at the waterbender as she charged him. She brought her water up as a shield, but it was far too weak to block. The lightening, dampened somewhat by the effects of the water shield, struck her in the chest. She didn't have time to scream before she fell, momentum carrying her, over the cliff's edge.

Finding strength from some hidden reserve he didn't know he had, Zuko charged the group of archers, screaming. He was playing on the chance that the firebender would chose to strike him down with his lightening.

Praying for it, actually.

-----------------------------------

With the help of Aang and Sokka, the army of waterbenders had the Fire Nation battalion on the run. They were wrapping up the small battle in the trees when the lightening caught their eye. A small flash, indeed, but it was a clear night, and it obviously wasn't natural.

As Aang and Sokka rushed to meet Sokka's father with the last of the prisoners on Appa's back, they saw an even brighter flash of lightening, and realized it was coming from the place they had left Katara. How long ago had it been since they left? Minutes? Hours? It was hard to tell in battle when two minutes seemed like two years.

-----------------------------------

As Zuko reached the firebending archer, his prayer came true. The archer unleashed another bout of lightening, and barely had time enough to regret it.

Zuko grabbed the archer's hand as the lightening was released and redirected it to the other archers. Unprepared and with no defense, each of the remaining six fell dead.

The lightening archer jumped back.

"That's a foul trick, boy. Who in the hell are you?"

"You should bow before me, you slime. I am your prince."

The light of realization sparked in the archer's eyes.

"Prince... Zuko? It is you! You filthy, honorless traitor. I'll be dead before I bow to you."

"So be it."

Zuko hit the archer with all he had in him, hoping it was enough, knowing he couldn't muster anything else with which to attack. The wave of fire that emitted from Zuko's punch knocked the archer off his balance for just a split second.

That was enough for Zuko.

He barreled toward the archer through his own wave of fire and landed a fireball punch in his stomach. The archer screamed and went over the cliff to the rocky water below.

Zuko fell to his knees at the edge of the cliff and realized that she was gone, too. The waterbender who had nursed him back to life. She had died fighting to protect her family, not to uphold any abstract or misguided sense of honor. Just to protect those she loved.

Again, Zuko was reminded of his mother and hot, steaming tears began to flow down his cheeks. He was scared of them at first; it had been so long since a true emotion other than anger had permeated him, but then he accepted his grief and looked down to where he imagined Katara had fallen.

-----------------------------------

Aang and Sokka flew as swiftly as Appa could carry them to the place where they had last seen Katara. They all feared the worst.

In the horizon, the first sparks of the sea battle lit the blackness of night.

-----------------------------------

Zuko stared in shock. This girl must have a god looking over her, he thought.

Katara hadn't fallen, as he thought. By some miraculous twist of fate, the bedroll that she kept on her back had caught a stray root. It had kept her from falling... but it wasn't going to hold.

Zuko saw that she was breathing, and he called to her, desperate for her to wake up before it was too late. She had saved his life; he couldn't watch her drop to her death.

"Hey! GIRL! Wake up! Wake UP, dammit! OPEN YOUR EYES!"

She stirred, but didn't move or open her eyes. To Zuko's horror, she began to slip further down the branch.

"Waterbender! WAKE UP! You… you can't die here. Katara, don't die…"

She heard her name, and thankfully, opened her eyes. He saw the fear in them and called to her.

"Calm down, Katara. Look up. I can reach you if you hold out your hand. Just reach."

Their fingers touched as she reached up, and then their hands gripped. He started to pull her up, but he felt her grip slipping almost immediately.

"Katara! Don't let go... use your ice!"

She looked at him quizzically for the briefest of moments, and then guided her reluctant store of water to join their hands together in a block of ice.

Zuko pulled her with all his might, but exhaustion had taken its toll. He was running a fever and hadn't eaten the entire day. The stores he found to fight the archers had all but disappeared.

Just as Zuko was preparing himself for a long drop and, hopefully, a quick death, a welcome blast of strong wind shot them both straight into the air. He found himself face to face with her... with Katara.

Just as Katara was preparing herself to melt the ice and fall to the rocks, she felt a blast of wind from below and thanked Aang. She and the prince were pushed far above the ocean, amongst the clouds. For a moment it felt like she was flying and she found herself face to face with Zuko.

III

"I see her, Aang! There! On the cliff. Hurry!"

Sokka's eyes widened in terror as he saw his sister dangling above the rocky coast below. Terror melted into shock as he saw why she hadn't fallen yet.

Zuko was pulling her up. He was actually trying to save her. But even from his distance, Sokka could see that Zuko was fighting a losing battle with gravity.

"Aang...!"

"I'm on it, Sokka!"

With a wave of his arm, Aang sent a giant column of air to lift them away from the cliff and hold them there until Appa could reach them.

High above the earth, the two benders looked at each other. Just a few weeks ago, they would have happily fought to the death. Tonight, they suddenly found themselves risking everything to protect one another. It was all too strange.

Katara was the first to blush and break their gaze. She coughed nervously and looked down.

Bad idea, she thought, and decided up was the best direction to look after all.

Katara felt water run down her arm and realized that Zuko was melting the ice she had made to keep her from losing her grip.

Of course, she thought, he doesn't want to spend more time with me than he has to.

They both watched the ice melt silently away. When it was gone, Zuko dropped Katara's hand. He reached up and let his fingertips glide over her cheek. It was a softness Katara never expected he had in him.

Slowly, Katara met his gaze. He still hadn't said anything, so she felt the need to fill the void with anything... something.

"Zuko... so... th-thanks for... "

"Save it, Katara. Consider us even." Her name sounded strange and wonderful when he said it.

Zuko pulled Katara close. Her heart was beating so hard that she knew he could hear it.

"O-oh. Ok..."

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?"

Zuko leaned in towards Katara. Katara met him halfway.

To Zuko, the kiss was cool and represented everything that was right in the world. In it, he saw happiness and a serene life. He didn't want to let go.

To Katara, the kiss was fiery. She felt the thrill of danger and going outside the lines of convention. She saw a greater life than she had lived, and wanted more. She didn't want to let go.

Sokka and Aang watched this as they rapidly approached Katara and Zuko. When the two kissed, Sokka's face twisted in anger and Aang pulled back on the reins. Appa came to a stop, and so did the column of air that was supporting the two once-enemies in the air.

Their kiss was cut short as they plummeted down toward the violent sea.

They were caught unceremoniously on Appa's saddle.

"What... in... the... HELL... were... you... thinking! I ought to kill you where you stand you insignificant... little..."

But Katara had touched Zuko's arm, and Zuko cut his tirade short.

"I'm sure it was an accident, right Aang?"

"Sure, Katara. An accident."

Katara didn't like the sullen tone in the Avatar's voice or the way her brother hadn't looked at either of them yet. She knew that they had to have seen the kiss (she blushed just to think of it), and she knew that neither of them would be happy with it, but...

Sokka scared her more when he was quiet than when he was yelling. She knew that when her brother was quiet, there would be hell to pay for it later.

"Anyway, how's Dad?!"

"Sokka and I wiped out the firebender soldiers that were on land, so that's a plus. There's still the navy to worry about, though. From here, it just looks hopeless, especially with the new moon."

"It's not hopeless, Aang." Sokka spoke in a menacing growl, "I'm gonna give them their prince back in exchange for leaving us alone. That's the plan."

"Sokka, no!" Katara cried.

Zuko cut her off.

"You really are pathetic! What makes you think they'll take me and just go away? What do you think I am to them? I'm not a hostage to be negotiated for! To them.. I'm just... a traitor, that's all they see. They'll laugh in your face and stick a fireball in your gut for your troubles."

"We'll see, won't we?"

"I won't let you take him!"

"You don't know what you want, Katara. He's going to be our bargaining chip. Aang!"

Aang hesitated, looking from Katara to Sokka.

"Sokka, are you sure?" Aang asked.

"YES! Now DO IT!"

Aang swayed his arms gently from side to side and pointed at Zuko to direct a gentle breeze toward him. The breeze stole the air from Zuko, and he fell unconscious.

"Is he dead? Did you kill him?!" Katara asked frantically.

"Not yet." Sokka responded. Katara saw Zuko's breathing resume as Aang jumped to bind him with rope.

"Sokka, this is low. This is beyond low. I didn't think you were capable of... of... this! You're sending him to his death if this works and you're walking to your own if it doesn't!"

"I don't want to hear anything from you. You're calling me low? You're in... in LOVE with a filthy firebender. His people KILLED our mother and they're working on finishing off our dad RIGHT NOW. How can you even look at him without wanting him dead? But no, you... you KISSED him!"

"Zuko didn't kill our parents. Sokka, this is ridiculous. Let him go. He can hide in the woods, get better, and leave. He can get away from the Fire Nation and we can go help Dad fight. Sokka, please!"

"Katara. Do you want our father dead?"

"No, Sokka!"

"Then why don't you want to help him? You think this is cruel? I think it's war. When you have the upper hand, you use it when you can. The ends ALWAYS justify the means, Katara."

Her brother wasn't moving. He was a solid as an earthbender in his conviction. She realized that, at that moment, she was more afraid of her brother and what he was capable of than any firebenders. His last words, the ends always justify the means, rang in her head as they flew silently towards the Fire Nation ships ahead.

Aang met Katara's gaze briefly, but couldn't hold it for long. He was just as ashamed of himself as Katara was angry at Sokka.

-----------------------------------

The Fire Nation general saw the flying bison well before it landed. Its riders were an interesting crew. Two of the Water Tribe and the Avatar. They were flying the flag of truce. Apparently, they had something to say for themselves.

"Sir? Should I shoot them down?"

"No. I want to see what they have to say for themselves. This could be amusing. I never mind a good laugh before a nice slaughter."

The bison landed with surprising agility on the deck. The Water Tribe boy jumped off the saddle and the Avatar stayed on the bison's head, presumably covering him.

"Hi there. Hey everybody. Who's, ahhh, who's in charge of this whole death machine?" the Water Tribe boy asked with a frustrating level of impudence.

"I am. Say what you have come to say before I lose patience and kill you all." The general expected to see fear enter the cool eyes of the Water Tribe boy, but he was sorely disappointed. This wasn't as amusing as he thought it would be. If they didn't scream before they died, they weren't any fun.

"Look. I know that there's this whole war thing going on, and your objective is to, oh, kill off the other guys. I respect that sort of dogged warrior thing. The only problem here is that this time, the other guy is us, and I have a serious issue with dying. So, I think I can solve this whole hostile takeover thing pretty easily for both of us."

"On with it, boy. You're working my nerves!"

"Ok, I see you're not into long negotiations. The short of it is that we have something I'm sure you want. We'll give it to you if you go away. Say the Avatar overpowered you or something. We all know he can."

The Avatar used a bit if airbending to lower Zuko to the deck of the ship.

"The Prince! Oh, you have brought me quite a lovely gift, boy. The Fire Lord will appreciate his son's return."

The girl, who was still in the beast's saddle called down, "What'll happen to him? What are you going to do!"

The general's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Relax, little girl. He's in no danger... from me. Until we reach the Fire Nation, he'll be treated with... civility."

The general laughed at that.

"Boy, you have a deal. We'll retreat and wait to tear the Water Tribe apart another day. In the meantime, we have precious cargo to tend to."

Sokka looked triumphantly up at his sister.

"In the Fire Nation, we shake on our deals."

Sokka practically strutted up to the general, he was so proud of himself.

The general took his hand, and to his shock, pulled Sokka forward.

"Like we'd turn tail just for this whelp of a prince!" He shouted and shot fire directly into Sokka's torso. The blast was so sudden that there was nothing anyone could do.

Sokka fell to the deck.

"SOKKA!" Katara screamed.

Faster than could be believed, the Avatar leapt to the deck and shot Sokka's body to Appa's saddle.

"Take care of him, Katara." That voice was Aang's... and it wasn't.

Katara held her brother's body and looked at the Avatar. His arrow tattoos were glowing. She couldn't see his eyes, but she knew they were glowing white as well.

He was in his Avatar state. There was no turning this rage until it had gone its course. Katara gathered the reins and yelled, "Appa! Yip, yip!"

On the ship, the general looked at the Avatar with surprise and mounting terror. He hadn't believed the stories; he had been too proud to believe this could happen to him.

"So... you think it's fun to burn people! You're gonna love this then!"

The Avatar leapt into the air, rising on a column of fire.

The Water Tribe and the Fire Nation stopped their battle at the sight of this terrible power. The Water Tribe, thinking it was a new weapon against them, lowered their heads. The Fire Nation soldiers, thinking this power was sent by their general, cheered.

The column began shooting out giant waves of fire at the sea skirmish. The Fire Nation soldiers didn't realize it was attacking only them until it was too late to fight back. In moments, the entire fleet, save one ship, was obliterated. The screams of the dying soldiers were horrible to witness, enemies or not.

The Water Tribe pulled back to the shore to tally their losses and get away from that horrible, cruel fire. They watched it die down to nothing and vanish.

The Avatar, still in the Avatar State, landed neatly back on the general's deck.

"Did that amuse you, General, Sir? Did it make you smile? Remember this day; take it back to the Fire Lord with you and let him know that I am coming swiftly behind. Tell him to say his goodbyes!"

Before the general could comment, the Avatar had taken to the skies again.

-----------------------------------

Back on shore, Katara was trying desparately to heal her brother through her tears. His breath had become ragged and shallow and he was bleeding badly. The wound was so large that she couldn't cover all of it with her power alone. She couldn't stop the bleeding.

He was dying.

Silently, the Avatar landed beside her. He placed his hand with the still-glowing arrow tattoo over hers.

"Concentrate, Katara. We can both save him if you do."

Katara nodded and her tears ceased. A bright light emanated from their joined hands and spread to cover Sokka's entire body. The wounds disappeared, and, gasping for air, they both fell back.

Katara looked over at Aang, who was, for now, just Aang again.

"He's still not breathing! It didn't work!"

"No, look." Aang said tiredly.

Indeed, the rise and fall motion of Sokka's chest became deeper and more regular. She watched in happiness as her brother coughed, weakly at first, and then more strongly.

Katara held Aang and wept, tears of joy this time, as Sokka sat up and asked groggily, "What happened?"

Katara and Aang both laughed out loud. That sound was music to their ears. There hadn't been much laughing in the past few weeks.

"We'll explain later. Aang, where's Zuko?" Katara asked.

"Still... on the boat."

Katara jumped to her feet and ran to the edge of the shore. She looked out at the one Fire Nation ship that had escaped the Avatar's fury. It was already setting sail. She scanned the deck, looking for Zuko, needing to make sure he was alive.

"We can still go get him, Katara." A weak voice called out to her. Sokka's.

"No. We have… business here. Dad needs us."

"But... you love him, don't you?"

"I... I don't know. But I don't think it matters; he can't love anyone back until he's… better. He has many wounds to heal before he's ready for that. And the first step might just be to face his father."

-----------------------------------

On the deck of the ship, Zuko awoke to the hustling of the crew as they rushed to leave the place of their downfall. Someone had stopped long enough to remove his bindings, so he stood, shaky at first, and then, when he was more sure of himself, he walked to the bow of the ship.

He could see her from where he stood. She was getting smaller and smaller on the horizon as the ship brought him the first few feet towards his destiny.

"I will come back for you. When I have regained my honor on my own terms, I will come for you. Wait and see!"

Zuko shouted this so everyone could hear. They stopped for a moment and all eyes were on him as he shot flames into the eerie light of early dawn.

-----------------------------------

Miles away, on the beach, Katara heard his cry and saw the flames; she knew he lived. She knew he would overcome himself and return. What happened after that was still unknown, but she looked forward to finding out.

Two sets of eyes stared at each other over the quickly-growing expanse of ocean. One set belonged to a Water Tribe girl, and the other belonged to the once-prince of the Fire Nation.

Both sets of eyes were clear and dry, sure in the conviction that they would find their destinies and see each other once again.

Slowly, the sun rose on a new day.


	2. The Next Day

Slowly  
An Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfiction  
Chapter 2: The Next Day  
30 June 2006  
Updated: March 27, 2007

------------------------

A/N: I really hadn't intended on writing more to this story, but I've received some encouragement to do so. I sat at my computer, and found that there was indeed more story to write.

This chapter is about how Katara and Zuko feel the next day. There's no action, as this is all interior dialogue. I promise the next chapter will bring in more characters and be generally more interesting.

------------------------

Katara had slept for what seemed like an eternity. She rolled to her side and grimaced, her hands moving to the source of her pain.

Unbelievable, she thought, a whole FLEET full of waterbenders, and none of them bothered to heal me?

She opened her eyes and looked down at her chest. It was tightly bandaged, and for the moment, she didn't know why it hurt so badly. Quickly, she relived the final moments of that last, heartrending day.

Aha! She thought, it was that firebending archer on the cliff. He shot some sort of lightening at me and…

Katara's thoughts trailed off as she remembered what happened after that. The fall, the kiss, Sokka's rage.

The kiss.

Her cheeks blushed as she recalled the weird passion of that one little kiss, the way she had burned, deep down in her soul, even as they parted.

Zuko, huh? She wondered to herself. Part of her wanted nothing more than to see him again; to talk to him and find out if he was feeling just as strange and wonderful as she was. The other part of her, the part that always said no when danger was involved, was more than a little relieved that Zuko was far away on a ship headed to the Fire Nation.

He's probably going to die there, she argued with her safe side.

Well, then you won't have to worry about whether or not he's just in this to get Aang, will you? Her safe side argued back.

She sighed. Always with her was this strange duality. The side she showed to the world was bold and brave, or so she hoped. But the real Katara was frightened—not of losing her friends or her father; she was really scared of life.

When had this paralyzing fear of life started? She suspected it was when her mother died. She watched as the Fire Nation raped and murdered her mother. The person who was more dear to Katara than life itself had died so unceremoniously at the hands of villains. The voice, only that of a child back then, had begun its vile whispering that very night. She remembered the first thing it said to her, "It should have been you."

She argued against any plan of Aang and Sokka's that could get them into any kind of danger. She told them they took unnecessary risks, but the reality of it was that she didn't want to be alone. She always got angry with Sokka or stomped about in a silent rage when she felt this way. It was so far out of her control that she always felt helpless, and she took it out on her friends and her brother all too often.

She desperately hoped that they didn't see through her. She'd much rather be thought of as "moody" or "stubborn" than afraid of everything.

And now, she thought, there's Zuko. What am I doing with him? Why did I want to care for him in the first place? I would have left him where he lay in that Earth Kingdom desert on any other day, so why had I fought to keep him with us?

But she knew the answer. The hotheaded prince had always excited her. He was fearless where she was trapped by her fears. He was action where she was thought. He was day where she was night. Even when he was attacking them, she felt drawn to him by some power that she didn't understand.

She decided to nurse him back to health when all Sokka and Aang wanted to do was get away from him because of these things. She fell in love with him for a different reason.

When he was near, that fear that had been with her for most of her life abated. She felt normal and in command. She drew from that strength when she attacked the archers. Now that he was gone, the voice of her old friend had returned, triple-fold.

He nearly tore you and your brother apart, it hissed at her. He didn't kill you then only because he was so weak and needed you. Now that he's well, it'll be business as usual. You'll see. Stop this now, before you're all dead at the hands of your lover.

Katara grimaced at that last thought. It was dripping with derision and hatred.

How can you be 'in love,' anyway? You're only fourteen.

That's true, she agreed. I am only fourteen. We were in unusually close quarters; we nearly died. Of course I'll have these strange feelings.

That's right, the voice caressed. It was a fluke.

Right. A fluke.

But it felt like a lie to Katara, and it tasted bitter as she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

----------------------

Zuko groaned as he sat up. He was still fairly weak and every muscle in his body burned when he moved, but he wasn't sick anymore, and that was something.

He brushed his hair out of his eyes. He wondered when his hair had gotten that long when searing pain shot from his hands. It burned a path to his brain, and it was all he could do not to scream.

Zuko looked at his hands in bewilderment. They were both burned badly. Enormous blisters had raised on both palms and the skin was sloughing off the back of them.

When in the hell had this happened?

Right, he thought as he remembered. The firebending archer had shot lightening at him. He was too weak to completely control it at the time, and this was the result. He felt lucky that his insides weren't in this shape as well.

As he stared at his crippled hands, wondering if they would ever be the same, all the events of the day before flooded his brain. The delirium of the fever, his frenzied 'escape' through the forest, the fight on the cliff, and the kiss all came back to him in an instant.

The kiss.

Zuko coughed nervously and his cheeks reddened as he remembered the softness of her lips. He allowed himself to remember how she seemed to melt into him the moment they touched, how it all had felt so… right. But mostly, he thought about how his never-ending rage had quieted in that brief moment before the Avatar had let them fall.

He assumed the airbender had allowed that little drop to teach him a lesson. It said 'Don't touch my girl' just as plainly as if he had said it out loud. Zuko was good at interpreting the useless posturing that goes on when envy is involved; he had mastered it in the years of his banishment.

Zuko gave a cynical chuckle at this thought. He wondered how the Avatar was dealing with the prospect of losing Katara before he ever 'had' her.

Katara.

Just her name made him feel weak at his very core. Weeks ago, he hated her for making him feel so helpless. Today, he just wanted to see her. He wanted to know how she felt about him. Well, part of him at least.

The other part, the part that had driven him almost to the point of madness in his ceaseless chase of the Avatar, had other ideas on the matter.

A waterbender? It sneered. She hates you and all you represent to her, and you know it. Even if she doesn't, what would your father say?

There you go again, thought Zuko. Why do you care about what father says?

You have to regain your honor! You have to capture the Avatar; only then will your father take you back. You don't want everyone thinking you're weak, do you?

Zuko had gone through this thousands of times before. Anytime he felt like just maybe his father's idea of honor wasn't what he wanted for himself, this voice spoke up. He should have learned to ignore it long ago, but he hadn't. It was the voice of his deepest fear—of being weak and helpless.

When had this fear that had made him incapable of getting close to another human started? He suspected it was when his mother died. It wasn't so strong then, but it was still there. It was born of the whispered rumors around court. He never learned how she had died, but he felt it was somehow his fault. The rumors, hissed behind his back, confirmed that fact. They spoke of the weak prince and the fire lord's wrath. The evil voice had begun its incessant festering argument then. He still remembered the first thing it said to him, "It should have been you."

The old anger surged through his body, and he fought off a wave of nausea with clenched teeth.

Why had he even helped her? Why did she have this power over him? He thought the answer was in her tranquil sort of strength. Her quiet power had always intrigued him; even when he saw her as only an enemy, he had always respected her. She was calm and in control where he was blinded by rage. She was solid in her conviction where he wavered between shame and anger. She was the soothing moon where he was the burning sun.

This didn't make him love her, though. He loved her because her presence chased away the anger and confusion he always felt. She made his fears go away and he felt almost normal. He loved her because she helped him discover that he was still capable of emotion. He was still capable of tears.

No, he couldn't possibly love a waterbender. That would be a stain on his honor that would never come clean.

That's right, his other side soothed. You can't love her. She kept you alive when you would have died. You're too honorable to ignore that debt, but in the end, she's a filthy waterbending peasant.

Right, he thought. A peasant.

If anything, you can use her infatuation with you against her. She's close to the Avatar, you know.

I know, Zuko agreed.

But he felt ashamed as he swallowed the bitter lump that had formed in his throat.


	3. Demons and Jail Cells

Slowly  
An Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfiction  
Chapter 3: Demons and Jail Cells  
30 June 2006  
Updated: March 27, 2007

----------------

A/N: Ok, well, not much action in this one, either. Sorry about that. Things will pick up in the next chapter when they grab Toph.

Pray for me. I've never tried to write a character like Iroh before. This is going to be painful.

Version 2.0 Notes: Ahem… I must say that I didn't know Hakoda's name until very recently, so I added that in… . Otherwise, I cleaned it up a bit, but I didn't make any real changes. Wow… I made Katara so… angsty! Oh well, forgive her… she's 14. I also took out the bit that dated this fic… It said that they were looking for Jeong-jeong, and I changed it to 'someone.'

----------------

"Katara! Good to see you out and about!"

"Dad!"

Katara ran to her father, relieved that he had survived the night.

"Dad, I…"

"Shssh, honey. You're alright. We're all alright."

Hakoda held her daughter until she stepped back from him.

"Where are Sokka and Aang? Are they ok? How long have I been asleep?"

"Hold on!" her father laughed, "They're fine. They're just down the beach. Aang's showing off for the northern waterbenders. He says that you've become a pretty powerful bender, yourself!"

Katara blushed.

"Oh Dad. You can't take half of what he says seriously, you know."

The water tribe soldier watched his little girl run down the beach to meet her friends. He smiled for a moment, and then turned away, his look darkening as he did. Katara smiled openly enough, but he always knew there was something behind that smile that wasn't happy. The night his wife died, he had seen his daughter change from a happy girl with no care in the world to a tortured soul wearing a false smile. He worried for her. He worried deeply and prayed for her to find peace each night before he drifted to sleep.

----------------

Katara stopped short as she approached Sokka and Aang. They hadn't seen her yet. She wondered what she would say to them, and was about to turn back when Aang caught her eye.

The giant wave he had been bending over his head came splashing down as he lost concentration. He giggled at himself and greeted Katara.

"Hey! Katara! You're awake!"

"And you're sopping wet. Honestly, sometimes I don't know how you can be so powerful…"

"Lay off, sis!"

Katara turned and saw that her brother was also dripping wet. Sokka's hair was a mess and his clothes hung off him like wet sheets.

They looked at one another, blinked, and laughed.

Just like that, they were all friends again.

Later, after Aang had dried himself and Sokka with a blast of wind, they sat together on the beach, watching the sunset.

"You know, Katara, we have to get moving again. We need to get Toph and head out to find.. someone to teach Aang firebending."

"I know. We're already late as it is. She's probably furious at us."

"I hope not! I can't stand it when she's angry! She takes it out on me during lessons!"

Katara playfully pushed Aang over.

"That's 'cause she likes you, silly."

Aang blushed and looked away.

"Speaking of which… erm… don't you want to, um… go after him?"

"Him who, Sokka?"

"Zuko," Sokka muttered.

"N-no," Katara said slowly, "I… I don't know what happened yesterday. Let's just call it a 'fluke' and move on, ok? I'm over it."

Sokka watched as his sister looked at the ocean. He had the impression that she wasn't really seeing anything.

"Look, Katara. I'm sorry about what I did. I was a royal jerk to get so pissed and try to turn him in. I don't like it one bit, mind you. I don't like it at ALL, in fact. But the fact of the matter is, I thought about it last night and this morning, and I figure you can't help who you like, so…"

"Sokka, shut up! I said I don't want to see him again, and I mean it. You were right! He's a firebender. His people killed Mom. How could I ever even talk to him without wanting him dead? You were right, ok!"

He heard her saying all these things, and he didn't believe them for a minute. Her eyes betrayed her, but he felt it was safer to let it go. He had been on the receiving end of way too many of her tirades as it was.

It was Aang who finally broke the silence.

"So, how 'bout we go get Toph, guys?"

"That's a wonderful idea, Aang." Katara smiled.

Katara, when will you learn that I know your smile is fake? I'm your brother; I know you better than anyone. Why can't you tell me what's wrong?

Sokka wanted to say all these things to his sister, but instead opted for, "Ok. We'll leave in the morning."

----------------

That night, there was a grand feast in true Water Tribe style. They sang and danced around the huge bonfires that littered the beach. Aang was the guest of honor, and he enjoyed himself, despite the fact that he simply couldn't stomach their food.

From her spot on the beach, Katara watched the easy way that Aang acquainted himself with everyone. She envied him of how simply he could get along with perfect strangers. She even found herself envying her sarcastic brother. In spite of the fact that he was always foreseeing doom in his uniquely cynical way, people still gravitated to him. She couldn't even come close to having their charisma.

"You want to see him. Admit it."

Katara jumped. She hadn't even heard Sokka approaching her, yet here he was.

"No, Sokka. I appreciate that you're concerned, but it's wasted. I'm fine. I'm just tired is all."

"Keep telling yourself that, Katara. I'll be around if you ever want to tell someone how you really feel. I'm still your big brother, after all."

He started to walk away, but Katara grabbed his hand.

"Thanks, Sokka. Really. I never tell you this, but I'm glad you're my big brother."

"No problem, Kitty-Kat."

He hadn't called her that in years, and they both smiled as the memories of their childhood flooded both their minds.

"It's great seeing Dad again, isn't it?" she asked.

"It sure is, and it looks like Aang's taken a liking to him, too."

They chuckled as they watched Aang telling their father the story of their adventures so far. The airbender had attracted a large group of northern and southern Water Tribe soldiers as he rattled on about his tales of derring-do, complete with special effects via air-, earth-, and waterbending.

"He's almost there, isn't he? He's surpassed me at waterbending, and he's gaining on Toph quickly now that he's gotten over his bending-block."

"Yep," Sokka simply replied.

"The battle is getting closer. The final one. I wonder how it will go?"

Her voice was strangely choked.

Sokka sat next to his sister and put his arm around her. He realized she was shaking uncontrollably, but it wasn't cold. She leaned in closer to him, sobs wracking her little body. He put his other arm around her and simply held her. He didn't know what demons plagued her, but he felt he had to protect her somehow. For now, all he had was this embrace, and he intended to hold her until she felt better, no matter how long it took.

"You… you guys could die! All of you could be gone tomorrow. This is insane. How can a group of kids win against the Fire Nation? What are we trying to do, Sokka? Even if we win, some other nation will pick up where the Fire Nation left off! It's hopeless. It's stupid. Why?" Katara wailed through her tears.

Sokka's eyes widened. He had never heard his sister so… desolate before.

She's exhausted, he thought, and she's losing the hope that held us all together. She hasn't cried like this since Mom died.

"Kitty-Kat… shhhh. Katara, please. We're not gonna die and we're not going to leave you. Please, whatever's bugging you, just let it out. Whatever you need us to do, tell us and we'll do it! I'll do it… You're more important to me than fighting the Fire Lord. I just have a hard time showing it."

Katara remained silent, but her tears stopped. Finally, she looked up at him, in control of her fear again.

"I really am glad you're my brother, Sokka." A ghost of a smile played on her lips. "Now, let's all get some rest so we can meet up with Toph tomorrow."

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Zuko stood up from the bed he had been sleeping in and studied his surroundings. Amazingly, he wasn't in the brig. His quarters weren't luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, but they were comfortable.

He saw the soldier in the corner of the room stand to attention.

"So, I'm not in jail, but I am being guarded."

There was no response from the soldier.

Cautiously, Zuko approached the door, not knowing how the soldier would react. As he touched the door handle, the soldier fell in behind him.

"Ok, so you've just been assigned to follow me, is that it?"

There was still no response from the guard. Zuko eyed him severely. He was just an average Fire Nation grunt. Zuko almost smiled that they thought this guy could restrain him if he really wanted to leave.

The banished prince opened the door. He had a few things to tell the commanding officer of this ship.

Zuko was denied this pleasure, as a makeshift prison door had been erected over the room's only exit. He was being held prisoner after all.

He recalled saying that he had to restore his honor on his own terms, and his terms didn't involve being dragged to his father as a prisoner.

That damn water tribe boy! He had gotten him into this. When he got out, he intended to exact his revenge on that pony-tailed loudmouth before he did anything else.

When he got out. He realized he was already plotting his escape.

I'm not running from them, he thought. I'm not running from my father. I just want to do things my way.

Sure, some part of his mind said. Sure you are.

Zuko ignored this thought and sat back down on his bed. The soldier resumed his position in the corner.

How in the hell do I get out of here quietly with that guy breathing down my neck?

Sitting perfectly still on the bed, Zuko pondered this problem for hours until the solution came to him from an unexpected place.

There came a knock on the door and a gruff voice, "Changing shifts!"

The soldier walked to the door and opened it.

Of course! They have to open that door to change shifts!

"He's awake, but he isn't doing anything. Still, be careful."

"Don't worry." Came the gruff voice, "I can handle him."

"Ok, pal. He's all yours."

Zuko watched for a vulnerable spot as they switched out, but found none. They never dropped their guard as the two soldiers swapped places.

The new soldier took up post in the same corner the old soldier had occupied. Zuko looked at him as severely as he had looked at the other.

This one is fat! Is the war so bad that they had to lower standards this much?

The fat guard chuckled.

"You don't have to look at me so harshly, Prince Zuko. You shouldn't look so hard for something that you lose sight of it when it happens."

"Huh?"

The guard sighed.

"You are so literal, my boy."

Suddenly, that voice was all too familiar. The fat guard removed his facemask.

"Uncle!" Zuko cried.

"Yes, I am. And you better appreciate this, Prince Zuko. Do you know how hard it was to find a uniform in my size?"

"It's been a few pounds since your soldiering days, hasn't it?"

"Zuko, how do you feel about mandatory sungi horn duty at every music night for the rest of your life?"

"I'd rather kiss Azula, Uncle."

"Then I would learn to hold my tongue when someone has gone through so much trouble to save you. Silence is golden."

Zuko smiled in spite of himself and thanked whatever lucky star sent his uncle to him.


	4. Blind Loyalty

Slowly  
An Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfiction  
Chapter 4: Blind Loyalty  
27 March 2007

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A/N: Wow… it's been quite a while since I've added to my little Avatar fanfiction. Lots of things have happened since the last time I wrote, the most notable being that I moved to South Korea to teach English. I hadn't watched Avatar in ages, but I finally caught up with the current episodes last night. I figured it was time to continue the story. I have to add in Azula and stuff now… and since I started writing before the end of the first season, you have to assume that this is an alternate story, seeing as there is no mention (and probably won't be any mention) of the whole Ba Sing Se deal.

Anyway, this chapter is about Toph… and a bit about Ty Lee… enjoy!

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Toph felt the giant bison lift into the air. The ground shook as Appa's tail hit it, and the air swirled as her friends disappeared from her… view.

"See ya later, Twinkletoes!" she called out, merrily waving in the wrong direction. She stood still for a while, determining where the city was. Once inside the walls, it would be easy enough to find an escort.

She was going home. She needed to find her family and smooth things over. She was tired of being chased by Master Yu and Xin Fu. She could handle them, but they were a constant annoyance, getting in the way at the worst times.

"I end up saving them most of the time," she laughed as she started toward the city where she had spent all her life.

She knew the city gate was guarded long before the guards could have seen her. They were shaking, and Toph could sense their fear, even at her distance.

Something was wrong. The vibrations from the city weren't right… and there was something nagging her to turn back. She slapped her face and walked on. An earthbender confronts things head-on, weren't those her words?

"Stop there, girl! No one may enter these gates." Yep, the guards were scared, all right. Their voices gave it away to anyone who cared to hear. What was going on?!

"Do you know who you're talking to? I'm Toph Bei Fun, you know, of the Bei Fun family? My parents will be angry if you don't let their only child in to see them!"

"Bei Fun, did you say? I never heard of them. Now, on your way."

The earth rumbled and the guards looked to where Toph had been standing.

"Hey! Where'd she go?"

The other guard spoke up, "Maybe we should find her and take her in. I mean, I know Princess Azula wanted to keep everyone out of the city… but maybe this is who she's looking for."

"No way, man… Did you see what she did to the last guys who didn't follow orders exactly? I don't think so."

"Yeah, I guess so. That princess is… something. Besides, she's looking for a blind girl… and that girl couldn't have been blind… I mean, she's alone! What little blind girl could make it out here alone?"

"You're right. Besides, it's damn hot in this country."

Toph didn't see the smoke rising from the city, nor did she see the Fire Nation banners fluttering in the lazy breeze. She didn't even see the Fire Nation armor that the guards were wearing, even though the sun glinting off it shone straight into her eyes before she left. She was ignorant to the fact that her home had been infiltrated by the Fire Nation.

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"What in the world is going on? How could city guards not know my family?" Toph kicked the dirt in frustration. The nagging at the back of her head became worse. Something was terribly wrong here. "I have to find out what it is… I have to get in there. Well, it's nothing a little earth bending can't solve. I can't sit around talking to myself all day!"

Toph made her way to the city wall and felt for any imperfections. It would be easier to enter quietly if she could just find a weak spot.

"Alright!" she said triumphantly, as she opened her own personal door into the city. "Toph one, stupid guards, zero!"

The first thing she noticed was that the city was just too quiet. The vibrations she felt were not that of a bustling city full of people; it felt more like a ghost town. Still, she could feel some movement, and she decided to move toward it.

"Maybe the governor is sick or something. That could be it…"

The nagging feeling continued to grow, despite Toph's best efforts to reason it away. The smell of smoke was giving her a headache and starting to sting her eyes. She closed them against the acrid fumes. She didn't need them, anyway.

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"My god, Azula. Why are we here? This place is so… mind-numbing." Mai rose from a couch in their new quarters and drifted listlessly to another couch before plopping down with a deep sigh.

"Patience, Mai. We'll be out of here as soon as we find out where that blind little earthbender went. Someone has been tracking her, and I plan to find out what they know, no matter what."

"Oh, Mai… this place isn't so bad! The fighters at that arena were tons of fun!"

"Yeah, until you took them out with your crazy pressure point acrobatics, fluff head! I wanted to make them run around some more…"

"Quiet, ladies. This isn't about entertainment! This is about those two oafs that have been after her. If we find her… we find the Avatar."

"Oh, right… you're so smart, Azula."

"Thank you, Ty Lee, but I know that. And I think my plans are about to pay off. We have a visitor."

Outside, there was a huge crash, and a cloud of dust and rubble filled the room. Azula smiled cruelly.

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By the time Toph made it to her old home, she knew that the situation was worse than she could have imagined. The going had been slow; there was hardly any motion in the ground, so it was hard for her to see her surroundings. She had to rely on her memory, and she stumbled on the piles of debris that seemed to be everywhere. When she pushed the gates open, her knees were bleeding from scrapes, and her mood was not improved for it.

"Has the whole world gone crazy?!" She punched a rock across her family's courtyard in anger, destroying the western pagoda. "That should get mom and dad's attention!"

When her breathing slowed, however, she knew that no one would be coming. The grounds were completely and utterly empty. She couldn't see inside her home, but intuition told her that it was deserted as well. Suddenly, the smoke seemed to grow stronger, she coughed as it invaded her lungs.

"Smoke! Why didn't I notice it earlier?! What's wrong with me?"

"You're blind." A voice laughed above her.

Someone struck Toph lightly several times from behind and she fell, barely able to breath. She lost consciousness as a familiar, cold voice laughed and laughed.

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"Ugh. So filthy. She's supposed to be a noble?" Mai said as she toed the little girl delicately.

"So, ah, Azula? Where's the Avatar?" Ty Lee said as she looked around quickly.

"He won't be far behind. What are you looking for, Ty Lee?"

"Well, um… you know… that guy." Ty Lee said as she blushed, "He's so funny and cute…" She giggled into her hand.

"Ty Lee, you're so… ugh!" Mai said, exasperated.

"Don't worry. When we get the Avatar, you can have your trained Water Tribe monkey. Now get this girl inside."

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"Well, that was a filthy trick." Toph thought as she regained consciousness. "I guess that was the infamous trinity of estrogen-y evil. Well, might as well get out of…"

Toph's eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped in shock. She couldn't… see. It wasn't that there were no vibrations… she couldn't feel anything except the faint breeze that brushed her cheeks and pushed her hair back from her frightened eyes. Panic set in and Toph began to scream and thrash around.

"I can't see, you bastards! I can't see! What have you done to me? You wait till I get to you... you wait! What have you DONE?!"

Tears streaked her dirty face. When no one answered her, Toph took several shaky breaths.

'It's ok,' she thought, 'I'll be fine… I just have to figure out what they did, and fix it. If I can still move, I can find a way out of here. Then I can find them, and…'

And what? Whatever they had done to her, they did it to keep her from attacking. If she can't feel them, she can't attack them… which Toph knew they had already figured out.

For the first time in her life, Toph felt truly blind. She fell to her knees and began to cry in earnest.

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"Aw, Azula… did we have to do that to her? Look at her down there. I mean, she can't see anymore! How terrible!"

"Ty Lee, your big heart will kill us all one day. I'm not taking any chances this time. Pride goeth before a fall, and all that."

"Yeah, but Azula…"

"No more from you!" Azula turned on the grey-eyed girl with a quiet fury, "The best earthbenders can bend anything that contains even a hint of earth in it! Do you know anything in the world that doesn't have earth in it?! Do you?"

"N-no, Azula…"

"That's right. Frankly, your 'compassion' worries me. I need to know I can trust my team. Don't let me think I can't trust you, Ty Lee… ever."

"Of course, Azula… I-I'm with you, always."

"Then act like it. Feed the prisoner." Azula turned and left her two companions alone.

"Ty… that was not the smartest thing you've ever done. You should lay low for a while. You know how she gets…" Mai said with a hint of concern marring her usual monotone.

"Ha, ha… sure thing, Mai. Don't worry… I'll bring the girl dinner. I'll see you later!"

Ty Lee skipped out of the room with a cheer that Mai didn't quite believe.

"I hope you don't mess this up, Ty. Azula… is very… focused on her goal." Mai whispered to the girl's back.

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"Dinner's ready, little blind girl!" a voice floated down to Toph.

"Toph."

"What?"

"My name is Toph. It's better than being called 'little blind girl'… even though I really am now, thanks to you."

"Yeah, sorry about that…"

"Sorry?! Sorry, she says! You take away my only way of getting around, you make me an invalid, and all you can say is sorry?! That's low, that's just twisted!"

"Well, I… I couldn't say no to Azula. She's pretty powerful, especially when she's steamed. Hey, what are you doing?"

Toph had drawn closer to the sound of the girl's voice. Feeling the vibrations in the earth wasn't the only way for her to get around, it seemed. Ty Lee stood still while the little girl felt in front of her. Groping blindly, Toph found Ty Lee's arm. She followed the acrobat's arm up to her shoulder, then to her neck, and then her face. Ty Lee knew what was coming, but she couldn't move. When it came, the slap stung and brought tears to her eyes.

The little earthbender grabbed the dinner tray from Ty Lee's hands and sat down to eat, not fearing or caring that there may be poison in it.

"I deserved that."

"You're damned right you did!" Toph felt a little better. The food helped some, but the slap helped more. Even better, she had discovered that they hadn't deprived her of her sense of sound or smell.

"Ty Lee. My name is Ty Lee. I promise I'll come back and talk to you later. I can't imagine how lonely it is here for you."

And with a swish of air, the girl was gone. Toph finished her dinner silently and in the dark. She may have felt a little less miserable if she had only known that the room in which she was imprisoned was her old bedroom. She was surrounded by her most intimate treasures and comforts, and she didn't even know it.


End file.
